Numbered Days
by The Genius Mage
Summary: Even if his days with her were numbered, he would treasure them forever. Platonic KarasuxHaruka one-shot collection. Five: But every time she looked, there was nothing there.
1. Sight Seeing

_~*::..Numbered Days..::*~_

_1. Sight Seeing_

* * *

_~*The View from Above*~_

_He marveled at the fact it only took neon lights and ocean waves to charm her._

* * *

Karasu supposed he should have seen this coming.

He had known since he had first entered this world that he would be unable to let the rest of the Dragon Knights seize Haruka and return with her to La'cryma so she could…die.

No. Just _no_. Not after the first time, not after the crippling lost of her all those years ago. It would have been better, he thought, if she had screamed and fought. It would have been better if she had struggled against them when she was first told that she alone could save La'cryma, protect them from the eroding touch of Shangri'La.

That way, he could have jumped to her defense. That way, he could have died too, defending her until his very last breath. All of the spin weaponry in the world, however, was useless if she didn't resist and went peacefully with a smile and kind words just for him.

The emotions tied to that moment were unexplainable. An interesting combination of betrayal, love, despair, anger…He wished she had refused to save the world, had run away with him until it all came crashing down like he had so desperately suggested.

"_Haruka. Please. We'll go away, we'll leave. You don't have to do this…!"_

"_Running away won't solve anything, Karasu…Yuu."_

But if she had done anything else, she wouldn't have been _his _Haruka anymore.

And yet here he was, standing on a rooftop—_her house—_in Hakodate. It was warm and sunny, the ocean a glittering blue field of dancing light. The sky was littered with the kind of fluffy white clouds that La'cryma had all but forgotten about, the sun's rays glinting off of every object it could possibly reach.

The dimension was stable, there was nothing unusual in the air, and that meant Haruka was safe.

(And even with the _deep cold_ sensation in his chest that meant his pipeline was disconnected, he was content.)

His hearing was sharper than any human's thanks to the tampering his molecules had been through at a quantum level, and beneath him he heard Tobi conversing in a cheerily casual voice with Miho as the pink-haired eccentric questioned her urgently about the workings of her various computers. Isami was discussing something with Yuu and Ai, exclaiming over the impossibility of everything that had happened to them so far.

Karasu mused that it should be odd that he thought of Yuu has someone different from himself, but lately things stopped being even mildly surprising to him.

Atori and Kosagi were away. He didn't know where, but all he cared about was that Kosagi wasn't there right now. She seemed intent on stalking him until "he faded from this world". It wouldn't be anytime soon, and until then, she could find something else to do.

That's when he realized he had lost track of Haruka. He froze, black cloak flapping in the wind like crow wings, relaxing as he heard her moving downstairs, probably getting something for her workaholic mother.

_Haruka,_ Karasu thought to _his_ Haruka, his gaze roving over the nearby city in a disinterested manner. _I'll be with you and Fukuro again soon, but only after I know that you're safe…in this dimension. We still don't know where Kuina is, and who knows what Shangri'La's forces are planning next. Noein is no fool, he's doubtlessly waiting for the right chance to strike._

The mountain, with its railway cars heading up and down its sides, reminded him of past battles fought for the only thing that mattered.

_It's been a long time since I saw you last. You would love the view._

He blinked—the only indication of his shock—as a voice called from the house's front yard, "Karasu!"

Peering down, his eyes and face instinctively softened as he beheld Haruka looking back. She grinned radiantly at him, unbothered as always by his intense appearance, using one hand to shield her bubblegum eyes.

Saying nothing, he acknowledged her presence with a slight nod. But she knew him unlike any other, and this was more than enough for her.

"Are you okay? You're always going off by yourself, and I…"

She was constantly worrying about him. He let one corner of his mouth turn up. "I'm fine."

"Hmm," she hummed, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking on her heels. Haruka studied him for a few moments before asking, "Can I come up too?"

He almost asked _what for_, but decided that it didn't matter, because she was _her_ and he was missing _her _company anyway. Both of their companies, really, though they were the same person.

(Even _he_ didn't fully comprehend all of the multiverse jargon, despite what he told anyone else.)

"Hang on." Karasu pulled at the _layze_ particles, warping down in a mere second to her level. She beamed again, obviously pleased, clinging to his side as he teleported back up, all in a space of about three heartbeats.

Yuu, in Tobi's and Atori's room underneath, muttered to himself about where Haruka could have gone.

Haruka had to lean against him until she found her footing on the blue tiles, but even when she did, she still left one hand against his chest and tilted forward, clearly awed by the sight offered from her rooftop.

(And of course she would be, she was _her_.)

He was always very cautious when it came to her touching him in any way. It wasn't dangerous—she was _never _in danger from him—but it sometimes blurred the line between reality and fantasy, made it to the point that he felt as if he really belonged in this dimension with his past self.

Everything from her mannerisms to her embraces was too similar to _his_ Haruka for him to ever feel truly relaxed. After all…he loved her future self. That extended to _this_ Haruka of course, but not in quite the same way. It made him feel uncomfortable if he ever allowed himself to forget that.

(She was just like _his_ Haruka. His to look at, to love more than anything in the universe, but never to touch.)

"Is that why you always stand here? Because you like the view?" She inquired, the imprint of the Dragon Torque visible on her pastel skin, even through her dark hair.

_So powerful. And yet so pure._

"Partially."

At her inquisitive glance, he continued. "We have nothing like this in La'cryma, so of course I like looking at it. Mostly, it offers me a good angle to observe everything."

"Oh." Haruka's fingers spread out across his black suit beneath his robe, and he grimaced as he felt the innocent brush of each digit on her hand. "Karasu?"

"Yes?"

It was always so easy to open up more when it was just him and her and no one else. He could make believe it was that way during moments like these, with the sea breeze flowing in and the ocean glowing like a moving sheet of azure and tangerine stained glass.

She turned her shadowy pink eyes on him and stepped back a bit from the edge. "Aren't you hot? That cloak of yours must be burning! Since you usually sit up here, I thought you'd finally get a tan." She flashed him a teasing grin. "You're so pale!"

Karasu raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm not hot. And I don't think I _can_ get one."

"Are you ever bothered by stuff like that?"

"No." Her questions were rather amusing.

Haruka tapped her fingernails against his chest, and again, he knew she wasn't doing it to intentionally spite him. "Okay," she said in her chipper way. "Can I ask you another question?"

He simply looked at her.

Taking his mild stare as an invitation, she went on. "You _are_ happy here, right? I mean, I don't think it's very fair of me to ask you to protect me without giving you anything in return."

Karasu thought that she truly _was_ unbelievable. She hadn't asked—he had sworn to guard her with his life all by himself. Despite this, here she was, fretting about his welfare. Pretty much _anywhere_ with her was better than _anywhere_ in La'cryma.

He smiled down at her. "Haruka, as I've said before, I'm fine."

"Yeah, but I don't think 'fine' and 'happy' are the same thing."

_Happy_ was a word he had long forgotten back in _his_ dimension. But he thought he was beginning to remember it again, the longer he met her gaze. "I'm better than I was in La'cryma."

She shuddered, a tremble that ran down the length of her body. "I think _any_ place is better than there. Except, maybe, Shangri'La." She was probably remembering the "fish tank" that they had put her in, when he had almost been too late to rescue her…

_Shangri'La. Noein. _Their previous encounters with the floating golden mask with its one scarlet eye made his blood boil, so to speak. What was with _every_ dimension and their idiotic attempts to ruin the life of a perfectly friendly little girl? They didn't even dignify Haruka by giving her a name or gender; she was merely _the Dragon Torque._

"Karasu? Can I ask you a favor?"

Snapping out of his morbid thoughts, he replied, "Anything."

"Can we come back up here tonight? I want to see what it looks like."

"Of course."

"Haruka!" A familiar voice shouted from the lawn again.

She stepped away from his side to peek over the ledge of the roof, and her face lit up the same way it did when she saw her guardian.

"What're you _doing_ up there?" Yuu complained, his suspicious gaze flicking from hers to Karasu's. "Everyone's waiting for you!"

"Oh, we're playing that board game! I forgot." She turned guiltily back to her protector, smiling apologetically. "I gotta go. Are you coming in?"

"Not just yet." He focused the full intensity of his glare on Yuu down below, but the boy didn't flinch away like he used to, didn't break into a sweat. Though a glimmer of fear shot through his dark brown eyes, he stared back.

_Good. He's becoming stronger. Maybe he _can_ protect Haruka on his own._

Haruka took his hand, pressing against his side as he manipulated the _layze_ to get her to the front of her home. She gave him another vivid grin of thanks before letting go and running after Yuu. The aforementioned male shot Karasu a look before following her into the house.

If he ever became bothered by angry teenagers, he'd be a rather bad Dragon Knight indeed. Not that he really _was_ one anymore.

Karasu went back to his former sentry position and didn't move from there until the sun set below the horizon.

* * *

"You're _still_ up here? You were in this exact spot when I left _hours_ ago!"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Karasu glimpsed brooding eyes and pink hair from the corners of his vision, which was more than enough to prove who was currently intruding on his peace and quiet. He didn't even dignify that with a response.

"Fine, give me the silent treatment," Kosagi sniffed, her cloak wrapping around her as she warped inside. Doubtlessly she was just checking that he was still alive.

_Does she think something like a _pipeline_ will get me to abandon Haruka?_

Haruka's friends had gone home about fifteen minutes ago, with Yuu the most reluctant out of all of them. As a safety precaution, Atori had come back to make sure they all arrived at their respective houses safely.

_Amnesia appears to be a good thing, with him._

Tobi was using her warm, placating voice to coax Kosagi into eating something, since it evidently helped them to survive in the dimension a little longer. Haruka was eating dinner with her mother.

Another slight shift announced the arrival of Tobi as she flashed up to his level after succeeding in her efforts with the stubborn Kosagi. "Karasu. You should eat something too. We all need to keep our strength up."

"How long?" He asked without looking at her.

The purple-haired technician didn't sound surprised. "We have a few more days. At best. But this is only an unsure calculation, I could be off. It's impossible to properly predict some things."

"What are the main factors?" He didn't _feel_ especially weak…but who knew? However, he couldn't fade until he knew, absolutely _knew_, that Haruka was safe from Shangri'La and Noein.

"Willpower, stamina, like I said…"

"You don't know."

"Exactly. Now come inside, I _do_ know for a fact that food helps."

It was some time later, two or three hours perhaps, until Karasu was back on the rooftop. He wondered if Haruka still intended to come up, and he pulled his robe around him. Every star in the black velvet sky made him think of the many different futures, and he wondered if there were more futures than there were pinpricks of icy light in the heavens.

_Haruka sighed and closed her eyes._

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Nothing. It's just…"_

"_What?" He asked anxiously._

"_La'cryma doesn't have any stars, even though it's always night down here."_

There it went again, the line between _his _Haruka and _this_ Haruka becoming so smudged and blended that he wasn't even entirely sure which of them had said that to him. He thought it was _his_ Haruka before she ended up—

Shaking his head, he was grateful for the distraction of someone's voice from the front lawn again.

"Karasu!"

Oh, she hadn't forgotten.

Without further delay, he teleported to get her, holding her close as he flashed back to the top of the blue roof. The cold in his chest strengthened momentarily before fading back to its usual absentminded frost.

"_Wow_! It's incredible!" She gripped one of his hands for balance as she turned this way and that to see every angle she could. "The city looks like someone drew it with neon lights!"

There it went again, that helpless smile that he usually got when she was around.

"And the ocean—it's so pretty! Everything looks farther away, but the sky seems closer, don't you think?" She rested her head against his arm and just surveyed the world from where they were.

There was a silence then, but not the bad kind. More of a slow and tranquil type, with the warm scent of summer all around them. Karasu shut his eyes and almost let himself imagine that he had always belonged in this dimension with Haruka.

"All right, promise not to take this the wrong way…" She began carefully.

"I promise." His response was slightly wry.

"Okay, then. It's only been fifteen years, right?"

He had to be very careful when it came to talking of the future. He nodded.

"…So, why's your hair so white?" She blurted out. "Was it the quantum stuff, the _layze _stuff, or something like premature graying? Stress?"

He thought she was joking until he saw the glimmer in her eyes. Karasu, for the first time in a long while, had to resist the urge to laugh. "It is a combination of all of those."

"Wow…really? Even premature graying?"

"Well. Maybe not that one. I suspect it mostly had to do with the altering of my body."

"Did it hurt?" She asked quietly. "I'll do everything I can to prevent that from happening to Yuu if—"

"Not exactly."

He stiffened as Haruka suddenly hugged him, her arms wrapped tightly around his torso. "I bet it _did_ hurt, you're just so strong that it _seemed_ like it didn't. If I haven't said it before, thanks for always being there."

He almost returned the hug. _Almost_. This wasn't the first time she had embraced him, but this Haruka was different from _his_, and he had to always remember one thing. No matter how much he loved her, she belonged with this dimension's Yuu.

She didn't seem to mind though, and pulling away, she said, "Am I much different in the future?"

"No," he replied quietly and honestly.

Brushing her hair behind her ears, she murmured, "That's good. Everyone seems so strange in La'cryma, except for maybe you."

"You don't think I'm different from Yuu?"

"Not really. You're both really reclusive, but you scowl way more than he does. You're the same on the inside, I think." Haruka grinned at him again, and Karasu returned the gesture. "But I probably need to get to bed now, so…how about I come up here every night? That is, only if you want the company."

"I would like that." And he really would.

He took her to her room and bid her good night, slipping back out to the rooftop without checking in on Tobi and Atori. Tomorrow they'd end up searching for more signs of Shangri'La, but right now he had little else to do but rest.

(And even with the _deep cold_ sensation in his chest that meant his pipeline was disconnected, he was content.)

Looking out over Hakodate, black cloak flowing in the wind, Karasu allowed himself a small smile. All was well, even if only for a moment.

* * *

_**I watched the entirety of Noein on Netflix recently, so naturally I just **_**had**_** to write something. In the English version, Tobi is a girl and some of the vocabulary got changed a bit from Japanese, so keep that in mind, please.**_

_**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**_


	2. Photo Album

_~*::..Numbered Days..::* ~_

_2._

* * *

_~*A Picture Worth A Thousand Words*~_

_He had no idea a photo could be so important to her._

* * *

It was sunny. Unsurprisingly.

For once, monotony didn't bore him like it usually did. It was rather…peaceful. No attacks from Shangri'La, no La'cryma strike raids, just…nothing. Nothing but what should be in this dimension, except for obviously himself and the other Dragon Knights.

But that was alright. Because Haruka was safe and happy, and thus, he was content. Karasu was never truly _in high spirits_, so this would be the closest he would get. Unless, he guessed, Haruka was talking to him with that radiant smile of hers…

Tobi and Kosagi were gone again, off to look at…something. It didn't involve him quite yet, and thus he opted to stay as near Haruka as possible.

(No, not _the Dragon Torque._ She would never be a mere object of power to him.)

From his usual place on the rooftop, he surveyed Atori as he played with Miho. There was little stranger than seeing the formerly murderous electro doing such a thing, but Karasu, again, didn't truly care. He wasn't a threat to Haruka this way, so he could stay in his present mind-frame forever, it'd be better for everyone.

Ai and Isami were outside also, not wasting the beautiful summer's day. They kicked a soccer ball back and forth whilst chatting to each other, shouting things to Miho and Atori occasionally when they demanded a tiebreaker opinion for their arguments over petty, childish things.

It was as children should be.

_Where did Haruka go?_

One of the windows beneath him opened, and Karasu recognized the high, sweet voice of the girl dictating his thoughts, as always.

"Hey Karasu! Can you come in here for a moment?"

The _layze_ particles were again subjected to his will so he could warp quite effortlessly to her room. The _deep cold_ in his chest intensified like usual, but he ignored the silent reprimand from his body. He found her there with Yuu, a photo album open between them, her cat curled up on her bed.

The pictures he could glimpse from his current position brought about such a surge of nostalgia for his lost days with _his_ Haruka that Karasu had to practically _force_ himself to look away.

She was grinning, her eyes carrying a mischievous tint. "So, guess what?" She had her arms behind her back, clearly hiding something. Yuu was lounging on her mattress, pointedly ignoring Karasu, flipping through the pictures with an absent gaze.

"What is it?" He asked, since she seemed to want a vocal answer.

Haruka rocked on her heels some more before removing with a flourish a camera for him to see. "I doubt I'd forget you anyway, but why don't we all take some pictures together?"

_That_ had the potential to seriously screw with the timeline. Oh well, his mere _presence_ was probably screwing with the "timeline". If one even existed. Much of the quantum stuff was left to Tobi for a reason; he and the others were mainly the beat-em-up team.

His eyes locked on the black device as if it were a bomb, regardless.

"Don't look so serious, Karasu!" There she went again, that unintentional caress that slid off of her tongue every time she pronounced the syllables in his name. "Just one picture, pretty please? Yuu says he'll take it—"

"But on the condition that you take one of Haruka and I," the boy finished, still not looking at the (former) Dragon Knight. He just rubbed the cat's ears instead, and a delicate purring filled the expectant silence.

It was _Haruka_, asking him to do something. He could hardly say no.

"Fine." Karasu extended one of his hands out from the depths of his dark cloak and took the item from her. "You two first."

Yuu glanced at Haruka. "Are we taking it inside or outside?"

"Hmm," she hummed in a sing-song fashion. "I know, we'll do it near the tree in the yard! It's just a pretty day, and it'll make a great photo!"

Karasu resisted the urge to sigh—(with her, it was always an amused one at least)—and simply flashed to the grass beside the aforementioned tree instead of walking there, his robe billowing behind him as expected. A few seconds later, Haruka came out the door with a smiling-despite-himself Yuu trailing behind. He went to stand beside his friend at his urging, while Karasu turned the camera over and over in his hands.

"_Yuu, come here!"_

"What_ do you want, Haruka?"_

"_Ai's going to take a picture of us, with the ocean as our backdrop! You've _got_ to pose with me!"_

"_Didn't we already take like, five photos?"_

"_Not any with me, you, and the sea!"_

_That's the bad thing about death,_ he thought bleakly to himself. _You don't realize what you have until it's gone, but it's only made worse when you know very well _exactly_ how important that person was to you._

"Alright, we're ready, Karasu!" Haruka declared, clasping her hands in front of her with her customary sunny smile. Yuu was halfway smiling, but that alone was enough to transform his eyes into a softer, friendly shade of brown.

For a moment, he just stared at them and hoped his past self understood the value of the girl beside him. Then, with a cheery _click_, the photo was taken.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Ai exclaimed, running towards them. "If you're taking pictures, I want in too!"

"Me too!" Miho shouted, her glasses glaring brightly in the light. "C'mon, Atori!"

"Okay," he agreed in that oddly docile voice of his.

"Will you guys even show up on film?" Isami asked, flicking his eyes from Karasu to Atori.

"_Oh_ you mean they might _not_? Like _vampires_?"

"Cut that out, Miho!"

Karasu was surprised to feel a smile on the edges of his lips. "I'm not certain we will."

This was news to Haruka. She looked disappointed. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, remember that Shangri'La face-ship thingy?" Yuu raised his eyebrows. "Didn't show up on Isami's phone."

"I never thought about the fact you could be _vampires_! Or maybe even _ghosts_! Atori, are you a ghost?"

"I don't think so, Miho." The blonde replied with a perplexed expression, as if it was the most interesting thing to think of.

"We'll have to try it to be sure; those ship things could be totally different from Karasu and Atori!" Ai waved it all off like she typically did, pulling Isami with her to the shade beneath the tree. "Mind taking a group shot, Karasu?"

"It's not a group shot if Karasu isn't in it!" Haruka argued, coming to stand beside the Dragon Knight. Once again, her steadfast loyalty and worry to him and his feelings was very…amusing. To say the least.

"Don't worry about it," he murmured to her so that only she could hear. "It's fine."

"Are you just saying that? If not, we'll just—"

"Go stand with your friends."

"These guys might not appear in pictures? I-I-Impossible!" Isami, of course.

Karasu's patience was greatly extended mainly due to the facts that it involved Haruka—and because it really was quite charming. Just like his past, before _his_ Haruka…

A chorus of "Cheese!" went up as everyone posed at radically different angles, which was followed by the sharp _click_ of a shutter closing.

It had been revealed that Karasu and Atori, just like the aptly named Shangri'La "face-ships", were mere illusions and not capable of appearing in photos or snapshots, recordings or other such things due to their nature in this dimension.

But that was okay, even though Haruka appeared to be pretty unhappy about it.

She had invited him into her room to give him a copy of the group shot photo he had taken, still frowning a little.

"What's wrong?" He asked the question despite knowing the answer, tracing her pacing movements across her room. Baron the white dog followed at her heels.

"I just wanted something to remember you by, so I can always see you clearly."

Karasu thought about that before kneeling beside her so that they were at eye level. He removed one of the pictures he had taken earlier that day and showed it to her.

"You do have a picture of me." The image displayed was of Yuu and Haruka beneath that same tree, dappled with shadow and sunlight, smiling and grinning respectively.

She stared at it for a heartbeat or two before shaking her head. "I know you're Yuu, but you're also _you_," she insisted, her bubblegum gaze resting on his.

Shrugging, unsure what to say, he simply told her, "In fifteen years, Yuu will become me. You can take your picture then."

Haruka smiled teasingly, and he let his indifferent mask crack just enough to reflect her.

"I'll remember that, then. In fifteen years, you'll still be with me."

"That's right."

* * *

_**These are set in no specific time in the Noein timeline, except for being after the time Kosagi joins their group.**_


	3. Black Tattoos

_~*::..Numbered Days..::* ~_

_3._

* * *

_~*Fighting Hell and Losing*~_

_It was always—_always_—questions with her, usually regarding things better left unsaid._

* * *

Haruka leaned her forehead against the cool glass of her window, narrowing her eyes as she endeavored to see past the sheets of crashing rain. Everything was gray and bleak outside, and she couldn't even glimpse the silhouette of the sea, or the nearby mountain railway system. It looked like Hakodate would be subjected to a good drenching for a long time, since the dreary precipitation showed no signs of letting up.

Her cell-phone rested on her bed, still lying where she had placed it at fifteen minutes ago after finishing a conversation with Ai. None of them would leave their houses today thanks to the current weather conditions—(Miho was convinced that it was caused by aliens messing with the clouds)—therefore she had way more free time than she knew what to do with.

Her black cat swished his tail and yawned, hopping off of her bed before promptly padding out of the room without looking back.

Well, she supposed she was free to go and talk to Karasu, Tobi, or even Atori if she wanted, since her mother was likely busy, after all. She wasn't quite sure what to make of Kosagi since the moody female was usually scowling at her, and unlike Atori, she hadn't been graced with amnesia.

Not to mention Kosagi had tried to kill her once or twice. Whereas Atori no longer gave off his former _killer electro psycho_ vibe, the pink-haired Dragon Knight was the same as ever.

_But if anything happens, Karasu will protect me. So I guess it's all right._

The _Dragon Torque_ got out of bed and followed her cat out into the hallway of her home. Upon arriving at the shared room of the dimension travelers, she pressed an ear to the door to listen to the sounds coming from within. There was the typical soft _buzz_ of Tobi's various gadgets and computers hard at work at whatever the technician told them to do, which wasn't surprising since she _always_ seemed to be typing at that frantically fast pace of hers. Besides that, there wasn't anything else she could pick up clearly besides the sound of someone moving.

Which made it impossible to tell if Karasu was there or not, since her guardian never made any noise, usually standing completely still when he wasn't massacring someone for threatening her.

Haruka's heart twisted. She _hated_ seeing him fight, the memory of his broken body spilling out those blue particles after his battle with Isami—Fukuro—still fresh in her mind. Sometimes she had nightmares regarding such things, like what would have happened if Tobi hadn't been there to find the _layze_ convergence point, or if Atori hadn't been present to stop Kosagi from killing the wounded Karasu as he healed…

The tips of her fingers brushed her throat, ghosting over the vague, indistinct outline of the golden, reptilian-themed artifact that made her so…_powerful_.

"Someone's outside the door," a sharp voice spoke on the other side. Kosagi.

"It's probably Haruka," Tobi replied amiably. "You can come in!" She added, louder.

The girl opened the door, sticking her head in and blinking at the brief, unreadable glare that Kosagi sent her way before resuming her staring at Tobi's laptops. Atori was sitting by the window, watching the rain fall, waving at her with an innocent smile.

The dimension technician gave a warm grin, looking up momentarily from her computer screen. The strange, glowing orange cubes that she seemed to carry everywhere were floating around her, the tawny globes they projected around themselves appearing stable. "Hello, Haruka. Can I help you with something?"

"Um, yes, please. Have you seen Karasu?"

Tobi exchanged glances with Atori and Kosagi, the latter simply huffing and shrugging. "I don't know where he went, but I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"You mean he's out in _this_ weather?" Haruka's eyes widened in shock. Did he _like_ getting soaked or something?

Then again…he was apparently an "illusion" in this dimension, maybe he was unaffected by rain.

"It would seem so." Tobi's fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed at her startlingly fast pace.

"If you just called for him, he'd come," Kosagi remarked with her ever-acidic tone.

"No, no, that's okay." Haruka shook her head twice, wondering where Karasu could have gone off to. "I'll just wait."

"He's never gone long from you," commented Atori, his faraway gaze flicking to hers for a heartbeat.

"Yeah, he's not. Sorry to bother you."

"It was no bother," Tobi promised, already concentrating hard on whatever program she was running. Swirling patterns and symbols danced across the screen, with nothing discernible that Haruka could make out. Kosagi only wrapped her black robe around her and ignored the _Dragon Torque_ altogether. Atori merely nodded docilely.

She closed the door with a final wave, returning to her room and taking Baron with her. Stroking the big white dog's ears, she picked up her cell phone and selected the first number on her contact list.

It rang. And rang. And rang. Puzzled, she cancelled the call and turned her radio on instead.

Maybe Yuu was busy studying?

* * *

Haruka blinked her eyes open, shaking her head and wondering when she had fallen asleep to begin with. Someone had turned the music and the lights off, even. Despite the depth of the shadows around her—caused by the rain, obviously—her alarm clock informed her it was only 4:53 PM. If it had been clear outside, the summer sun would still be at a decent elevation in the sky.

The first thing she thought of was, _Karasu must be back!_

Filled with an indescribable joy at the prospect, she smoothed her hair down and stepped out into the hallway in time to see Tobi and Atori heading downstairs. The latter gave a distant smile and kept going, but Tobi stopped to face her.

"Oh, you're awake. Karasu's back, by the way."

"I know. Where're you going?"

"We're getting something to eat," Atori declared.

"That's right," Tobi agreed. "Are you coming?"

She thought about it briefly before shaking her head. "Hmm…no, I'm going to check in on Karasu."

"Alright then. We'll see you later."

Haruka nodded after them as they departed, the two "environmentalists" that her mother thought was staying with them temporarily for a research project. Though right now Atori was okay, she was a bit worried that he might suddenly recall all of his memories and resume his plan to kill her. Tobi, on the other hand, was one of her favorite people since she had always been warm and friendly from the start.

Of course, no one from La'cryma was above—

"Karasu?" She asked, knocking on the door twice and listening for any sound. She heard a soft rustle as he shifted, but that was all. Knowing his penchant of rarely speaking unless necessary, she entered slowly and smiled brightly at him.

As usual he was sitting in a corner, his face unreadable (though she swore he looked at her with a softer expression, but maybe that was her ego) white hair mostly obscuring his russet eyes. He said nothing as she approached him, clasping her hands behind her back, as was her wont, and inquiring cheerfully, "How are you, Karasu?"

His pale hand was visible as he shoved most of the material of his cloak behind him, revealing his arms and the black tattoos emblazoned across his skin. "Fine."

Haruka, at first, merely glanced at the unusual markings, but she soon found her gaze drawn back to the dark bands. She knew they were capable of flashing out like ebon lightning at a moment's notice, and yet she had no idea exactly what it was or how he had gotten it.

For that matter, she didn't know why _any_ of the Dragon Knights had such strange weapons. And if Karasu was Yuu from the future…would Yuu end up with the somewhat disturbing (not Karasu's, no, of course not his) biological attachments morphing out of his very body too?

However, she decided to be polite instead of launching into a surprise spiel about something potentially personal. She sat down beside him, hugging her legs to her chest. "So, where did you go? You must be crazy to go out in the rain like this!"

Karasu looked at her with that _forceful_ stare of his, but she was unfazed, since no matter how intimidating he looked…he was still Yuu, and she could see that, sense it, even.

"I went to see Yuu," he answered after a short moment of hesitation.

"How come?"

"There is something he still needs to learn." His tone turned dark.

Frowning, Haruka remarked, "I hope you didn't go there just to argue with him again."

"It wasn't an argument."

There was a second or two of silence, and for once even _she_ was uncomfortable with it. So she said, "Karasu? May I ask a question?"

She had the feeling he was _amused_ or something as she went on.

"I mean, if it's too personal…"

"What is it, Haruka?"

Reaching out, the _Dragon Torque_ gently pressed her fingers against the shadowy strips that wound around his arms. The texture was different from the rest of his skin, feeling _harder_, like metal, but not quite. She felt him stiffen for a heartbeat. "What _are_ these?"

Karasu flicked his eyes downward. "Something that Dragon Knights have."

"Is it biological? Like permanently attached?" Haruka murmured, curious. She absently traced the black bands' path with the tips of her fingers, the difference between skin and _weapon_ becoming clearer the longer she went on.

He didn't reply, and when she glanced at him, her protector appeared rather…tenser than normal. Several moments later, he replied with a terse, "Yes."

"Hey, if it's too personal—"

"It's not." He interrupted.

"Then what's the matter?" She withdrew her hand and he visibly relaxed. Haruka felt a rush of guilt as she realized what was wrong. Looking away, she laughed softly. "Oh, sorry, Karasu."

A sigh. "It's not you."

_I…He lost me, me from the future, didn't he? _

"I must be making things harder for you, I'm really sorry."

Karasu seemed alarmed, just a tiny bit. "No, you're not doing anything wrong."

Haruka twirled one strand of her hair around her finger and blinked thoughtfully at the floor. "…What are the weapons called?"

"Spin Weapons."

"But like you said earlier, it didn't hurt?" She highly doubted that, it appeared to be rather painful just to get the thing working—especially Kosagi's. Half the time, though, Karasu didn't even use the…stuff…that came from his back. Atori did so often.

"Right. We needed to alter our bodies on a quantum level to fight Shangri'La. It was our only chance."

"Guess it wasn't going so well, huh?" Haruka commented sympathetically.

"We were fighting Hell and losing," Karasu growled in a harsh voice. She was startled by this, and as if sensing it, he calmed down and gave her a rare smile. "But don't worry about that."

Haruka didn't do or say anything, and the seconds ticked by as she mused over what she knew about La'cryma and the Dragon Knights, and also, Shangri'La. _Noein_, she pondered apprehensively. _He's the cause of so much pain, especially for the residents of La'cryma. _

"Haruka."

Falling out of her trance, she turned to him. "Hmm?"

"What's on your mind?" This statement sounded so _Yuu_ that she felt reassured enough to tell him.

"Noein, and his plans. That's all."

"I'll protect you," Karasu said in that adamant way of his that left no room for arguments. "You don't have to worry about him."

"It's not me or him I'm worried about—it's you. I don't want you to have to fight anymore."

A pause. "I'm used to it."

"Which is what makes it so bad," Haruka muttered to herself. She put her hand to her throat. "I wish I knew how to use this thing." The _Dragon Torque's _spontaneous bursts of power were both useful and yet not.

"No, you don't." Karasu nearly whispered. His eyes seemed to drain of their maroon shading slightly.

"Why not?"

"Trust me," was all he responded with.

And even without the added effects of his intense stare, she did.


	4. Night Frights

_~*::..Numbered Days*~..::_

_4._

_~*Shadows That Come In the Night*~_

_It bothered him that he couldn't protect her from herself._

_~*X*~_

Karasu rarely slept nowadays.

No, it wasn't anyone's fault but his own. After the _experiment _that had changed his quantum makeup, sleep had become more of a luxury than a physical need. Regardless, he would rather stay awake and be alert to his surroundings, in case anything unfortunate should befall Haruka. Yes, he was _that_ determined.

(That, and his dreams always became nightmares about losing her. His worst fear was waking up _again_ and finding it to be true.)

He knew it made Haruka anxious when he was outside alone at night, and he supposed her worry was warranted. He half expected Shangri-La battle ships to materialize any second. However, this didn't stop him from sitting on the rooftops and watching the glittering city lights of Hakodate. It was hard to imagine it as a destroyed clump of rubble back in _his_ time at that moment, but he had long since ceased being optimistic. He just _hoped_ this time, things would be different. He didn't expect it.

His dark musings were interrupted by a frightened sound from within the house, and he tensed as he recognized the familiar voice. Of course, her name was the first thing that jumped to his mind.

_Haruka!_

(Some other part of him wondered if Yuu was having similar thoughts nearby.)

Warping to her room, ignoring the intensifying cold in his chest that was a silent reprimand, he quickly scanned the area for danger. However, there didn't appear to be anything wrong…

…Except the fact that Haruka was _crying_. He could see in the dark without much difficulty compared to a normal human, and he noticed her making futile attempts to stifle her sobbing. That sight, alone, was enough to make his heart ache.

Physical trouble was one thing, emotional distress was quite another.

For the first time in quite a while, he felt a little awkward. Karasu, after all, was like most boys—the populace in general, actually. People crying were difficult to deal with. However, as was always the case, his concern for her overpowered his boyish indecision. Kneeling by her bed, he hesitantly put an arm out and touched her shaking shoulder.

(He was always very, very careful when it came to touching her.)

She wasn't facing him at first, but slowly she turned on her other side and peeped at him through her fingers, dark pink eyes still shedding tears. He gasped a little in shock as she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, trembling violently.

"Haruka? What's wrong?" He couldn't help her if the problem wasn't immediately evident.

He felt saltwater stain his black cloak. "K-K-Karasu…"

The former Dragon Knight pried her off of him, pulling her back just a little so he could look her in the face. She appeared heartbroken, literally _shattered_, and he felt his heart twinge in sympathy. Most of all, though, she seemed frightened.

In response to his anxious, questioning stare, she sniffed and muttered almost nervously, "It's n-nothing, Karasu. Just a nightmare. I'm sorry about waking you."

"I wasn't asleep." A short pause. What should he say now? What could he do about the terrors that came in the night? Her mind was the one thing he couldn't guard; her thoughts were her own after all. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly, endeavoring to drop a little of his constant seriousness. He was well aware that it was easier to reassure her if he sounded more like his younger self. Like Yuu.

Haruka eyed him with an unreadable emotion in her unusually drained gaze. She wiped her tears away and focused on something behind him, her expression becoming distant. "…It was Noein again."

He tensed instinctively, his eyes narrowing a bit of their own accord. "I see." He waited for her to go on.

Her hands clenched. "It really bothers me. He appears as Yuu at first in my dreams. Not Isami, or Miho, or Ai. Always Yuu. I know they're just nightmares and he can't hurt me, but…"

"What happens?" He was a tad startled to hear that _Noein_ was in her dreams…as Yuu, and by extension, himself…

Sighing, Haruka shook her head, dark locks swinging. "It's terrifying. Sometimes he'll show me things that have never happened before, like what might have happened if I had run away with Yuu to Tokyo."

That didn't sound particularly scary, but he didn't comment, just gave her a (hopefully) comforting look.

"…Others…what if I everyone forgot about me?" Again, she shook her head.

Clearly, this bothered her. He kept his hands on her slim shoulders and squeezed encouragingly. "They're just dreams. He can't hurt you. I won't let him—I promise." He hated, above all, feeling…helpless. Of his own accord, he grimaced fleetingly as he recalled…as he recalled…

_A glass barrier between him and her. She was like that because of him. She was like that because he had failed. He had _failed_ to save her when it had counted most…_

Shaking off the clinging memory, Karasu realized he was still gripping her and brought his hands back inside of his robe. Haruka took a deep breath, eyes fluttering shut momentarily, but when they reopened, some of the luster was restored.

She offered him a small smile, pale in comparison to the one she had given her friends earlier that day. "I'm really sorry about waking you, Karasu," she repeated with genuine regret.

He almost smiled. "I wasn't asleep. Would anything make you sleep easier?"

Haruka studied him, several emotions warring across her face. "Um…" She dipped her head, causing moonlight from the nearby window to paint her hair silver. "Never mind."

Somewhat exasperated, since she happened to do this pretty often, Karasu insisted, "What is it?"

"Can you stay in here?" She replied in a low, uneasy whisper, her pink gaze imploring. "Just for tonight. I always feel safe when you're here."

Karasu nodded, saying nothing, maneuvering himself so that his back was to her bed. Quite honestly, he wasn't tired. As was the norm.

"Thank you. I really mean it, Karasu."

Something about the way she said his name made it all worth it.


	5. Seeing Things

_~*::..Numbered Days..::*~_

_5._

_~*A Trick of the Light*~_

_Sometimes she tried to keep things to herself. Why make him worry even _more_?_

_~*X*~_

Occasionally, Haruka felt like she was going crazy. _Silly me_, she thought. _I must just be seeing things._

That was the third time this week though…She imagined that she saw weird bronze contraptions in the shadows, sort of like seahorses, but whenever she turned around to get a better look—more curious than afraid—they vanished, like they had never been.

It was another beautiful day in Hakodate, the kind of days made for lazing about in the sun with one's dog. That was exactly what she was doing; lying on her back beside Baron and watching the clouds pass by between gaps in the branches of the tree overhead. Her mother was inside working like usual, and time seemed to have slowed down to a tranquil crawl. No one was over visiting at the moment, though she was expected to go meet Yuu, Ai, and the rest at an ice cream store in town, but for now she had nothing to do.

Shangri'La and the Dragon Knights could have been a trillion years away...

Haruka blinked several times, her eyes perplexed as she studied the clouds drifting aimlessly by. Baron might as well have been one himself, thanks to the white coloring of his fur. The humongous dog was panting placidly, stretching his jaws in an enormous yawn.

Well. Enough of this, then. If left to her own devices she was certain that her mind would, like the clouds, wander aimlessly until it touched upon the rather unwelcome recollection of being encased in liquid inside some God-forsaken tube in La'cryma…

Haruka shuddered involuntarily and propped herself up on her elbows, blowing a sigh.

"Is something wrong?"

She yelped despite herself, laughing at her foolishness as she recognized Karasu. He must have warped in from nowhere again, as was his wont, his maroon eyes vaguely amused.

"No, nothing's wrong." She said cheerily before she stood up, dusting her clothes off. "It's such a nice day out, isn't it, Karasu?"

He looked all around, as if he had just noticed this fact himself. He said nothing.

Haruka wrinkled her nose playfully at him. "Come _on_, Karasu! Don't be so glum!" She took his hand and led him to the edge of the yard. They were offered a nice view of the sea, coupled with a panoramic view of town and the tram car system that ran up the mountain. It was all very nice, and something she hoped to be able to look at any time of the year.

After a short while, Karasu took his hand back and hid it somewhere within his black robe. She was undeterred, clasping her hands behind her back and humming thoughtfully to herself. "Hey, Karasu? Mind if I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

Truth be told, she wanted to tell him about the strange things she had been seeing lately. However, knowing him, he'd overreact and probably lose even _more_ sleep than he already had, worrying over invisible enemies that danced between shadows. So instead she said, "I was just wondering, how come you don't ever change your clothes and go sightseeing? I mean, Hakodate is your home too, right? Don't you want to go look around?"

He took a bit to respond, and Haruka examined his face bemusedly. She had expected him to reply right away, but her protector actually seemed to have to consider the question before he could say anything.

"It wouldn't be prudent for me to wander around town." Karasu eyed her as he spoke. "The future is already affecting the past enough as it is; any interaction outside of the absolutely crucial would be an unnecessary risk."

"But that's no fun," Haruka protested. She pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear so the breeze would stop causing it to flap around her face. "It doesn't seem so bad to me for the future to influence the past. I'm really glad you and the others came." She turned and smiled at him.

He managed to return it, though only the tiniest lifting of the corner of his mouth betrayed this. After that, he just closed his eyes and directed his face forward again. "So am I."

She swung her arms back and forth, striving to find a way to fill the silence. "Does that mean you think having conversations with Yuu and the others is 'crucial'?"

"It can't be avoided. They're here too often to not notice us."

Well, she could understand that. She spared a moment to wonder where Tobi and the rest had gone before continuing the conversation. It was so rare to speak for an extended time with Karasu that she was eager to keep it going. "Do you _want_ to go look around town though, Karasu?"

He blinked open his eyes again and she had the distinct feeling that he was surprised to see everything still the way it was. As if he had fancied himself to be dreaming. "I've thought about it, from time to time, but it's fine."

"Oh…Well, what's your favorite place?" She knew what Yuu's was, and that was—

"Where we first met."

"Here?" She gazed all around at her simple yard and home, espying Yuu's house in the not-so-far distance. "Or…you don't mean the _graveyard_?"

Haruka figured she _had_ to be going crazy, because did Karasu just _chuckle_? It was faint but she swore he did. "No," he said. "Not the graveyard."

She giggled. "So there's _another_ reason why you hang around my house besides the fact that I'm here!"

He was silent.

After a few minutes of cloud watching, Haruka found that she couldn't stand the quiet for much longer. She clicked her tongue, calling Baron to her side, and stroked the dog just to have something to do. "Hey, Karasu," she began, looking up from her petting, only to freeze. Her eyes widened.

Down the hill a bit from her home, she could see the shadowy hand-like appendage of the seahorse looking bronze—

"Haruka?" Karasu's tone turned concerned, and then urgent. "What's wrong?" He quickly whipped around to try and pinpoint what she was gaping at, but there was nothing there. He slowly faced her again. "Haruka, what is it?"

She shook her head, dark hair flying, quickly putting on a wide grin. "I-It was nothing, Karasu."

He stared at her doubtfully, needing no words to convey his message.

Haruka swallowed and smiled once more. "Really, it was nothing. Just a trick of the light."

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry for any OOC-ness I've not had a chance to re-watch the show yet. I encourage any readers to go and read Erin C.'s Noein stories if you have not already!_


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